


Heart Scales

by MotherWoof



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Miraculous, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Gorgon marinette, Greek Mythos AU, Hurt/Comfort, Lukanette, Medusa AU, Snake Luka, not viperion, snake creature luka, snake marinette
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:01:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22663690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MotherWoof/pseuds/MotherWoof
Summary: Marinette has been cursed. Disfigured by Athena to wear the guise of a Gorgon.She will never be able to return to her old life, as any who gaze upon her are turned to stone.She's let her first love go.But not all is darkness and woe when it comes to being newly scaled.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 64
Kudos: 107





	1. When the Butterflies Stop Fluttering

**Author's Note:**

> This AU is inspired by the myth of Medusa.  
> Inspired is used loosely as this fic will not be following any rhyme or reason in regards to the actual story of Medusa.
> 
> This is purely a story about two little snakes that fell in love.
> 
> ***If the image header isn't visible, please click on the icon link to view Marinette's scale pattern***  
> \--will attempt to fix if broken--

“Your offering has been accepted. Now leave.”

The scraping and shuffling of rushed footsteps echoed deeper into the cavern until they disappeared completely. Marinette waited in the dark for some time, making sure that the patron hadn’t remained before uncoiling from a raised platform, easing her body down until it rested on the stone floor. The cold tingled against her underbelly, encouraging her to keep her torso elevated as she made her way to the entrance. When the dying light of evening began to reflect off of the worn down rock steps, smoothed to a shine from the hundreds of feet that had come and gone. 

“Do you see anything, Tikki?” she whispered to her small friend. Tikki uncoiled from within Marinette’s hair, slowly extending until she could see around a rock form, tongue flicking against the air. 

_All clear_ , she hissed to her gently before curling up against her neck. 

Still cautious, Marinette moved out into the open, glancing around to confirm for herself, then glided over to the offering shrine. An assortment of things had been left: a wrapped bundle that smelled of fresh bread and dried fish, a small clay vase of oil, and instead of petals the patron had left a bundle of flowers twined together. She curled her body around the altar twice, before reaching out a delicate pale hand flecked with brown scales, and gently bringing the green bundle to her face. Closing her eyes and parting her lips, she inhaled the floral scent. A smile graced her face and she lifted the flowers to Tikki to inspect as well. 

“These ones are amazing,” she gushed to her friend, watching her black tongue flick out and scent the flower. 

_They are a great offering_.

Marinette gathered the other items in her arms, then moved her way towards the entrance, still cautious of any who might see her. Spiralling into a large heap to settle her body in, cradled by her own tail. She laid the flowers gently on her scales, the bright yellow of the petals stark against the pale brown motley of her body. White scales blushed with dark freckles ran the length of her new body. Well, no longer new. The late warmth of the sun was fading, but it was better than staying cooped up in the dark until the following morning. She nibbled on the fish in the offering, slipping small bites to Tikki, and dipping the bread in the oil. It was peaceful on days like these. Spring was around the corner and it brought longer days and the promise of warmth. Something Marinette craved. Of all the things to have become bereft of, it was the sun. The life and beauty it brought to the land. 

Enjoying the daylight wasn’t for her anymore. Not with the possibility of being seen- or worse. 

Cursed, or blessed, this was now her life. So she enjoyed the small things that came with it, like bundled flowers and spring afternoons. 

The sound of skittering rocks to her left had her body seizing and curling into a striking position immediately. Sides expanding slowly as she searched the area, eyes slit against the fading light. Her body was frozen in stance, tense and ready to protect herself if it came to it. Tikki was hovering at her shoulder like a blood red ribbon, ready to strike or lock gazes. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had come for her, and it wouldn’t be the last. There weren’t as many statues outside of the cave as in, but there were enough to pose a warning. She scented the air just before a few more rocks scattered over the hill and a young red doe appeared, eyes wide in caution. 

Immediately, Marinette released the tension in her body, sinking back into the coils. It was a considerable relief to have avoided confrontation. It was what she hated most from the change. From what she’d been turned into. A monster. A demon. _A dreadful beast_. Contorted into something no longer human. No longer mortal. A _blessing_ was what Athena had claimed. A blessing to forever be safe from men who wished to claim her or cause harm. The embodiment of protection.

But it was a curse. 

A curse born of hideous proportions. 

She was able to protect herself fully from men now. No longer weak and helpless, but it didn’t mean they had stopped pursuing her. No longer were her suitors lined up, waiting for her hand when she stepped down from serving Athena. Now far worse men lined up for her head. 

But Marinette wouldn’t let it drag her into madness. Wouldn’t become what was spoken of women who had been born gorgons, she would remember her humanity. She could always dream of what her life _could’ve_ been. What it _should’ve_ been.

The last few rays of warmth slipped over the edge of the hill, the chill of the night quickly creeping into the shadows. With a sigh she uncurled her body, slithering over the top coil, scales smooth against each other. She kept the offerings in her arm as she traversed the pillars and crannies in the cavern, body curling around one of the larger columns that had been knocked over a century before she had moved into the old temple. The strong muscles beneath her scales bunched and clung to the marble, helping her climb to the upper level with ease. 

She slid her way slowly along the upper levels, squeezing through tunnels at odd angles, until she came to a warm back cavern. The small lamp she used to light the area illuminated the natural hot spring pools, which reflected a green hue onto the space. She tipped the offering oil into her lamp basin, replenishing her only light source in the area. She craved the light and heat, but was equipped to live in the dark now. The darkness had never bothered her, but now it was far more welcoming than it ever had been. Stashing the food remnants, she eased parts of her body into the shallow pools, enjoying the heat as it seeped into her body. The humidity in the room swarmed with the fresh scent of the flowers. Rotating until the flesh of her back was resting on the warm stone, she set the yellow bundle onto her chest, letting the scent lull her into dreams of the sun and it’s gilded patrons. 

\---

_Marinette,_ the soft hiss drew her awake instantly. _Someone is in the temple._

Her body burst through passageways, underbelly clinging to the sides in curves, hands gripping edges to propel herself forward. Tikki hissing by her ear, flared up in readiness. There were few reasons for anyone to visit her home, even less for them to venture past the offering stand. With one final lunge she heaved most of her body onto the ledge in the cavern, torso reared up as she scanned the darkness and then the light patches towards the entrance. 

“ **Leave now** ,” she hissed out, warning whoever had trespassed. A quiet gasp reached her ear and she turned towards the sound, eyes slitting as she searched. “Your life will not end well if you remain.” She slipped herself from the ledge slowly, curling and clinging to vertical walls and the upper remains of marble columns. Keeping out of sight as she hunted for the intruder. 

It was a man’s fault that she lived here now, in _this_ form. She wouldn’t let another man harm her again, especially not for her head. Coiling tightly onto an overhang she let out an angry consistent hiss, letting it echo and ricochet around the room. 

“Marinette? It’s me,” the kind voice spoke up from a few columns away, closer to the bright entrance. She cut off her hiss immediately, tension easing from her muscles. 

“You shouldn’t be here.” She moved with silence onto ledges further into the dark, attempting to hide most of her body if she was seen. 

“I couldn’t just let you live here… like this,” her eyes caught the brilliant gleam of sunlight off of hair spun of gold, before she dipped down further from sight. Tikki nuzzled her cheek. 

“It’s not safe, Adrien,” she traced the cocoa brown patches on her body, idly sinking into herself and the sorrow in her heart. 

“I won’t stop coming. You’re my friend. You’re… you’re not a monster, Marinette,” Adrien’s voice was unsteady, but she could hear the emotion in it.

“Then you’re foolish,” a quiet hiss, just enough to reach his mortal ears.

“I am,” a small laugh. “Such a fool.” Scraped footsteps. Pebbles skittering across the ground as they were tossed. She let the only sounds in the cavern come from his movements. She didn’t want to move and draw attention, lest he see her somehow. It was also nice to hear the sounds of another living being for once. Not voices whispering for protection against darker forces, insight for a decision, strength against injustice. The promises of men claiming they had repented for ill behaviours and pleading for Athena to not abandon them in their endeavors. 

“You can’t stay here,” eventually she shifted, just enough to see his shadow as he paced without reason. 

“I’ll leave soon. I just miss you. It wasn’t supposed to be like this, Marinette.”

“I know. I miss you too,” her body sent out a little hiss towards the end. “It’s been over a year now. She spoke true… this, this is who I am now,” powerful muscles in her tail coiled under her, helping to prop her torso up, arms folded under her chin, a finger ideally tracing the dark freckles in her scale pattern. 

“It’s not who you are. It’s what you are,” Adrien’s voice was resolute and his shadow stopped pacing. “You’re not someone else. You’re still you.”

“I’m not someone else, you’re right. But I _am_ some _thing_ else,” she hissed out, frustration lingering in the words. “I’m not a merchant’s daughter anymore. I can’t wander the streets or purchase food from a booth. I can’t live amongst humans anymore. We can’t marry Adrien.” 

“I know. I know,” he bit back, the sound of multiple rocks skittering around roughly echoed in the cavern. “I wish I could see your face one last time, though,” a sigh of defeat pulled at her heart. 

“One last time?” her fingers stopped their idle path, and she looked up, even if she couldn’t see him from the ledge.

“My father has arranged another marriage… he said that we waited long enough. For you… to-”

“To change back,” Marinette finished for him.

“Yes. But you didn’t.”

“No, I didn’t. I still turn men to stone when they see me,” Tikki’s red face moved into her line of sight and Marinette couldn’t help but cradle the small snake to her face. “It’s for the best, Adrien. I won’t forget our time together.”

“I’ll still come by. Not as often. But I will. You’re still my friend, no matter what form you’re in.”

“I will always be happy for your company, no matter how foolish you are.” They sat in silence for a long time after that. The sound of his heart barely audible from the distance. 

“Can…” she could hear the uncertainty in his voice. “Can I kiss you one last time?”

“Adrien, you can’t look at me without tur-”

“I won’t look! I promise, I won’t. I’ll keep my eyes closed. Just... can I please have one last kiss? One to remember you by?” His voice was light and pleading. The tone broke her heart. She hadn’t looked upon his face in almost a year and a half. Hadn’t kissed or touched him in an even longer time. She ran her hand over the cool skin of her chest, letting it settle over her heart. “Marinette?”

“Y-yes. One l-last kiss. But you have to promise you won’t open your eyes! I couldn’t live with myself if I hurt you.”

“You won’t,” his voice was soft. The way she remembered it always being. The voice she thought she’d hear for the rest of her life. The fates had other plans. “My eyes are closed until you say otherwise.” 

It took more effort than she thought it would to move her body from the ledge. To encourage the great length of her tail off the rough edge, spiral down the nearest column. Her heart raced in her chest, beating so harshly she was sure even a mortal man could hear it from the great city. Her palms felt clammy as she moved closer. She kept to the shadows at Adrien’s back just in case he did open his eyes. Her scales slid over the rough hewn ground silently, and then suddenly she was terrified to get any closer. To round the last column and truly see him for the first time. To see his face and not his back, see the golden hair framing eyes of emerald, skin kissed by the sun. 

She dug her fingers into her palms, before crossing her arms over her chest in self-consciousness. Aware that she hadn’t worn clothes to cover her body since she’d been transformed. There’d been no one to see her breasts that had shrunk in size, or the soft chocolate freckles and blushed scales that crept up from just inside her pelvis then up and over her hips. See that the divit low beneath her navel, where skin met scales had altered as well. The soft scutes of her underbelly had formed a cloaca, a shockingly embarrassing transformation at the time. But she had grown used to her new body, no longer self conscious of it’s form, as no one ever saw her- and lived. But now she felt vulnerable in front of her first love. Felt truly naked again, in more ways than one. 

Marinette twisted around his form slowly, taking him in. The long white cloak open to the expensive fabrics beneath. He was older, broader, more handsome than she remembered. But he also appeared small and fragile, in a way that he had never seemed before. Too soft for the world. His heart had always been fierce, and when she had been an acolyte, she had thought him capable of anything, including protecting her. Seeing him through new eyes, she realized she had idolized his abilities. 

She hadn’t underestimated his heart though. His heart, the solid beating of it from within his chest, calm even as he heard her approaching, was what broke her own. He was pure. 

A quick dart of her tongue over her lips before she steeled a breath. Lifting her pale hand, now the color of moonlight, she held it just above his eyes, lest he opened them in surprise. 

“Don’t open your eyes,” she whispered, watching him startle even if he had been prepared. His lips rolled together before he nodded.

“I promise. Can I touch you?” Adrien’s voice was quiet as well. He lifted one of his golden hands, family signet ring on his finger. Her own fingers on the hand still wrapped around her chest, tensed into her arm, catching on a few errant scales as she slid it free. She hesitated, heart thundering, hand hovering in the air just before his open palm. Flexing her fingers one more time she took a deep breath and gently rested her hand in his. The pure heat from his skin melted into her body. She could see his surprise at how cold her hand was, the way he paused before curling his fingers over her. 

The moment felt like an eternity. Neither of them moved. 

“Can I kiss you, Marinette?” Tikki hovered anxiously by her face, weaving with the distress rolling off of her friend. Small forked tongue darting out rapidly, tasting the air. With a deep inhale, Marinette leaned forward, tail tensing to support her torso, keeping her from shifting forward and touching his body.

When her lips softly touched his, he gasped from the cold, or the touch. She wasn’t sure. He was so incredibly hot to the touch, like kissing a meat fresh from the fire. A too hot cider before it cooled down. She didn’t move or push forward, letting him adjust. He kissed her back finally, in what felt like minutes, but was likely only a second. He was soft and firm in just the right ways, but it wasn’t the same. It didn’t fill her with butterflies anymore, curl her figurative toes, make her want to swoon. It just _was_. 

His hand moved up before she noticed it, to cup her face. He jerked back quickly though when he bumped into Tikki, recoiling from her. She couldn’t be sure if he had opened his eyes or not, as she’d kept her hand in front of his gaze to be safe. 

“I’m sorry,” she rushed out, body pulsing backward quickly, pulling her over to a column to climb up. 

“No, no. It was my fault. I’m sorry I should’ve asked. I wasn’t expecting… I didn’t actually think-” his rambling grew more hurried.

“Didn’t think I’d actually grown snakes? Or at least one,” she murmured to herself at the end. 

“Yeah, I thought it was just a story. I’m so sorry, Marinette. I’m so sorry,” she could hear his voice breaking, but she had already turned away to scale the wall to her ledge. 

“Don’t apologize, Adrien. I think it’s time to go now,” her voice was level when she spoke up again. 

“Yes. I should go. My father is expecting me. I’ll be back… I promise. I left flowers, too. I know how much you loved them.” She waited until he left before moving. She collected the vase full of blue flowers and the basket of baked goods, then retreated to the tunnels away from the light.


	2. On My Way to Tartarus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a lot darker than I was expecting when I opened up the document to write.
> 
> Yet here we are.

_Marinette!_

_**Marinette!** _

With a loud slosh of her lower body, Marinette twisted awake quickly, hot mineral water spilling over brims and across the stone. The low burning lamp flickered with a change in the air currents filtering in from the tunnels. She slithered quietly over to the shelf with the flame, shielding her hands around it to block most of the light. It took only moments for her eyes to adjust to the growing darkness. Leaning in gently so the flame danced on the under Tikki, setting the red scales awash like the sun. Closing her eyes she blew out the candle, waiting until any form of ghost light on her lids. The quiet allowed her to tune into the sensation of the vibrations travelling through the earth around her. 

A gentle rhythm of water droplets faded out… Wind funneling inside the upper air chutes… stuttering beats and thumps travelled through the stone, following the path from the main cavern. 

_Humansss_ , Tikki’s body snapped towards the entrance of the hot springs, Marinette’s eyes quickly followed. 

“We’ve had an awful lot of visitors this week,” she murmured, turning to move deeper into the darkness.As she slid further into the hot spring cavern, her body dipped into a large pool to hide the mass of her form. Braced on her palms, she lifted her torso up as it followed her tail sinking into the deep, leaving only her eyes and nose above the surface. Tikki hovering above.

 _These are not visitors_. The sound of multiple pairs of feet began to echo towards them, heavy breathing, and the occasional scrape of metal. 

_Do you think Adrien sent them?_ Marinette thought back to her. It had been a week since he had come, bringing with him memories and feelings she had pushed down months ago. It felt as if he’d torn the freshly placed bandage from her heart. His visit had reminded her of what she’d never have again. 

She wasn’t entirely sure if it was the _idea_ of Adrien and what he represented or Adrien himself she missed more. The belief that they would wed someday had been on their lips for years, even if she had begun serving as an acolyte, it was only temporary. An opportunity to serve the Goddess and delve deeper into her true self. Something not all women were able to do. Her last year had been well known, suitors noticing her beauty and approaching her parents with proposals. 

Her family had stood firm on letting her serve as Athena’s acolyte for the full term, and would not be persuaded by any form of money or goods. The Dupain’s stance had only encouraged more men to come forth though: merchant guild offer’s, foreign textiles, a few cow’s and gold. Offering far more than she felt was reasonable, only because she seemed unattainable. 

Then Poseidon had heard, an actual God of the Pantheon had come to see what mortal woman could be so beautiful and elicit a value higher than some of noble birth. He took it upon himself to claim her for himself before any mortal man could. Cornering her late at night as she served in Athena’s Temple. He’d attempted to charm her first, and finding her unwilling, he set about to take what he wanted…

It had been Athena who had struck him away before he could take her there on the steps of her great dais. In righteous fury at someone attempting to desecrate her temple, befoul it with something so horrid, she had lashed out. Poseidon had fled instantly, no longer desiring to toy with mortals and having fulfilled his desire to mess with the Goddess he challenged consistently for Athen’s patronage. In her wrath, Athena had curse Marinette. A curse to her beauty so that any man who dared to look at her again should turn to stone- incapable of touching her and causing harm. Hideous in form, but given the guise of a snake as one of Athena’s blessed creatures of protection. She could protect women who came to her, their gaze never turning them to stone, but all men would know the cost that lay before them when the choice of abusing and harm, ended them. 

_I do not think Adrien would do such a thing,_ Tikki hissed to her mind. 

Marinette hadn’t thought so either, but it felt too coincidental to be unrelated. The sounds of the approaching group grew louder as they wound their way through the tunnels, searching for her. Chances are they knew what she could do and had come in the middle of the night in the hopes to catch her unaware in sleep. They had underestimated the challenge greatly. 

Maintaining caution was always ideal, even if she had begun to master her new form and the deadly ways it could be used- all before including the curse of stone. She hid in the pools with ease, the inner cavern pitch in the darkness. If she were to reveal herself to the intruders when they came in, she would be stuck with their likeness in her home for eternity. The only way to remove the bodies would be to smash the stones of their remains, and then haul the pieces out. Neither of which were things she wanted to experience. 

She saw the flickering of their torches coming into view and took the moment to inhale as much air as she could, stilling herself and dipping silently beneath the flat surface of water, causing nothing more than a single ripple. The vibrations beneath the water were distorting in ways she hadn’t experienced yet, but the light at the surface was enough to let her know they were in the basin with her. The flashes of golden light changed and waved about as they discovered her assortment of things she had in the room with her. Most of her more cherished items were in a set of caves further in, but during the chill of winter, the hot springs had become her residence. 

_They know we’re here somewhere._

Tikki’s voice came to her, the shadow of her friend drifting in front of her face as they sat waiting beneath the surface. Now that the group knew they were close, she sat patiently, waiting to see if they moved deeper into the tunnels, or began to explore the pools. The options that ran through her mind all lead in the same direction, the means to the end the only difference. 

Stone or skin. 

A need to release some of the stored air in her lungs rose, but she pushed down the sensation. _Not yet._ She didn’t want to face them all here, not all at once. The dark would work to her advantage. They were too mortal- designed to hunt with the light. 

Marinette wasn’t.

The reflection of flames on the stone ceiling dimmed, a section of the party breaking off to move deeper beneath the mountain. The remaining light split into two smaller blooms. A breath of flickering flame in the mass of black, barely enough to keep the shadows at bay. Keep what lay within the shadows revealed. With the control of the serpent she rose to the surface, breaking the stillness with silence. A man, torch and weapon in hand, wandered the edge of the pools to her right, another attempting to find his way to her left, scuttling along the fathoms of the deeper pools. Tikki’s tongue flicked at the air, tasting the fear. The smell red snake turned her attention towards the man to their left, the one holding himself together with a thread. 

A thread of life in The Fates’ hands. 

Marinette slipped from her pool, pulling herself into a larger bowl of water, the heat more intense than her previous position. Her tail slid slowly after her as she moved from spring to spring, slipping into the black water, leaving stillness in her wake. The hunter, or warrior, whatever he felt the need to call himself, had wandered enough of a distance from his partner, that the space between was filled with midnight. As she dipped into the pool just behind the man, she made sure her body moved with enough force to ripple the water, sending a small wave out to lap at the man’s sandals. She sunk beneath the surface as he paused, spinning, eyes wide with fear as he lifted the torch to peer beneath the water. 

Then she lunged, gripping the man by the shoulder straps of his leather armor, dragging him beneath the surface before he could shout or see her in the dark. Her body curled around him within the deep, eyes skimming the surface of the water, watching for the other man. Her victim struggled within her coils, thrashing as she squeezed the air from his lungs, the bubbles of his last breaths sputtering near her face, the thrashing waves licking at the rims of other pools. A sharp pain in her lower tail had her gasping beneath the surface, letting her own air out. He had stabbed her with his short sword. The wound stung as the hot mineral water seared into it, then more so as she tensed her muscles, crushing the man’s ribs. As the last twitches of life escaped him, she pulled herself from the pool, moving towards the wall, dragging the limp form with one of her hands, removing the blade from her body with the other.

The wet slap of flesh and clothes was enough to bring his partner closer, shield lifted, torch low. His plan to find her in the dark, without gazing upon her face was clear. The steady trained movements gave away his experience, practiced in assessing an enemy. Intelligent enough to be cautious in calling in the rest of the hunters, lest they rush in and end their lives in a foolish action. 

He crept closer, no longer attempting to be as quiet as when he was searching, more than aware she was in the cavern with him. Marinette let out a low hiss, the sound reverberating off the walls, before fading off. His steps stilled, rethinking his motives and decision on coming to her hell hole. A decision he wouldn’t have time to regret any further.

She had swept behind him as she had hissed, confusing his sense of her location. Marinette curled her arm around the man’s throat from behind, using her excessive weight to drag him into the water with her. He fought harder than his companion, legs thrashing against her underbelly, elbows smashing into her torso painfully. She kept her grip around him tightly, Tikki’s fangs buried deep into his face, encouraging him to scream out in pain, inhaling the healing waters to end his life. 

Soon the cavern had two water-logged bodies stacked up in the dark. 

Shaking the unease she felt at taking the life of another, she went about moving through tight off shoots, places the humans couldn’t travel as she did. Two more groups of pairs had moved deeper into the cave system. She dispatched the first quickly, striking him from behind, and sending him crashing forward, head colliding with the rock wall. As she reached to gather his dropped blade for the last man, he spun. His eyes grew wide at the sight of her, fear and despair written all over his face. The same expression they all wore. He went to scream but no sound came out as the curse of stone crept rapidly over his body, turning flesh to rock. Marinette ground her teeth in frustration. 

Unable to feel remorse she pushed on. She couldn’t stay to mourn and let the guilt sink into her with two men still hunting. She wasn’t easy to end, but it was possible. Even if this wasn’t the life she wanted to live… she still wanted to live. This was her life to keep and protect. 

It took her some time to track down the last pair. They had delved further than she had explored on her own. Some of the tunnels were actual carved pathways, even if roughly hewn. Her eyes provided sight in the dark, but not enough to take in the details she could feel etched into some of the walls beneath her fingers. There were more secrets in this ancient temple than she had ever realized, unaware when she’d taken it up as her home. The thought of what could be hidden beneath the mountain intrigued her, but it was something that had to wait. 

The men were wandering around an open space with small columns circling a low marble table, a deep bowl propped up on aging metal legs. The fire light flickered across the scene, torches raised high as the men gazed, turning slowly as they moved around the room. She kept to the edges, using the shadows cast by columns as her veil. She could see every curled hair on the man’s arm nearest her as he paused, back to the shadows, before she snapped forward, pressing the tip of the stolen blade deep into the man’s neck. Severing vital nerves and veins, the man dropped with a heavy thud, torch scattering along the ground, errant embers jumping away before flashing out. 

Raising high onto her tail, looming over the last man she advanced, his stance defensive. He had thrown his torch to the ground and raised a sword and shield. A meshed veil shielded his eyes from her, but his movements tracked her position as she slithered forward, issuing a deep hiss. This was her home and she would not be hunted down within its confines. 

“You should not have come,” her voice broke the building tension between them. 

“You should not exist,” he spit back, sword twirling in his grip as he readjusted his hold. He lunged out at her, and she shifted rapidly, deflecting his arm with a flick of her tail, he spun, shield up expecting a counter attack. Except, Marinette curved and slithered into the shadows, hiding from the torch. He wasn’t relying on his true vision to face her, only the shadows the light cast from her movements. 

His body turned as he tracked her movements around the room, lashing out if she came near, bracing against her tail when she flicked it out in hopes of knocking him over. She was lethal now, but she had never been a fighter. With a quick thought, she crossed the center of the room, surging over the marble table, gathering the first torch within her hands, she smashed it into a column as she moved for the shadows on the outer ring once more. The cavern dropped into further darkness, the hunter unable to follow her movements until she slid against something. The deep slash in her tail was beginning to ache, the blood seeping to the ground below as she moved, smeared in places she had to travel through again. She could feel it slick on her scales, likely a grizzly scene against her pale pattern. 

The man moved further from his dying light, attempting to give enough space to catch a faint glimmer if he could, breathing growing harsh beneath the fabric. She could sense his sweat and nerves, Tikki hissed a threat. With one last swift push, Marinette lunged as quickly as she could, body coiling around the man, locking his limbs to his side. As she twisted around to face him, she tilted her torso back, hovering over his form. Then she reached out with those moon pale hands and gripped either side of his helm delicately, lifting the veil from his eyes. 

“May you rot in Hades,” the hateful glare he sent her as the stone grew over his neck and forever sealed his face, seared her long after she had abandoned his form in the hidden chamber. 

She didn’t let the tears stream down her face until she had carried the four bodies of flesh into the world beyond her home, coins for Charon in place. She sank onto her ledge, far from the violence that had been wrought in the tunnels and the springs. The thought of harming others had always twisted her stomach. 

A protector. Gentle. Giving. 

Marinette wondered if she could ever be that person again. Ever feel like a mortal once more.

Or if she truly was becoming a demon, worth the scorn and loathing of man. 

The hateful eyes of the hunter followed her into her dreams whenever she closed her eyes.


	3. The Arrival of Persephone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay!

Only a single patron came for the next following weeks. 

Only a single prayer and offering. 

A single pair of steady shuffling feet and the rustling of fabric.

Marinette wasn’t sure if she was relieved to be left alone or despondent. She could still see his face, the anger and hate. She hadn’t returned to those deeper tunnels since, no matter the mysteries they could’ve held. The others had burned on a late evening and she watched the flames flicker and sparks rise, fluttering into the dark night sky. The warmth and light had danced over her scales and for a moment she felt mortal again. A young woman enjoying the night settled in by the fire. Wrapped with her mother in a blanket while her father spoke about the day's events. 

She had stayed until the last embers had died down, into the early hours of the morning. 

Without visitors she had grown bold, wandering around her ridge. Hesitant and wary whenever she went out. But no one came across her. No one came in search of the men she had… _killed_. The days had become vibrant. Longer. Warmer. Livelier.

Bright green sprigs were beginning to emerge from the ground, the beginnings of buds on the nearby trees. It was almost Spring. 

It was when she was coming back from the small grove north of her home that she heard it. 

_Music._

Her entire body had frozen. Music. 

It had been nearly a year since she had heard the tantalizing and seductive sound of beautiful notes in the air. Music came from human hands. The song of the earth was enchanting. But _music_. The cool breeze brushed against her cheek, and she lifted a pale hand to find a tear trickling down her face. 

She knew what the sound meant. It meant someone was near her home. It meant danger, more so for the mortal than herself, but the fear was still there. Encouraging them to leave was ideal, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. It felt like a gift. A gift just for her. 

Marinette slithered closer, body shifting gently as she lowered herself around boulders and steep drops she would’ve normally avoided. She was determined to remain unnoticed- unseen. Settling in a nook hidden just above the entrance to the cavern, she coiled down into herself, body lounged over her tail. The clouds slid slowly across the sky as she listened, felt the melody shift, tugging at her on the inside with its beauty. She laid a cool hand over her chest and closed her eyes to take it all in. To feel the reverberations in the sky and earth. 

They played for hours it seemed, blending seamlessly from one tune to the next, the strings plucked with delicate hands. It was enough to get lost in, to feel human once more. She wanted to dance, leap with joy, spin on toes, and be lifted into the air once more. The music made her feel like she could again in her dreams. It sounded like _hope_.

When the music faded she stilled, eyes opening to see the sun leaving its peak. Enough time to walk back to town. She could hear the quiet movements beneath her at the entrance of the cave, not inside of it, but near it. Gentle steady steps that lead them away. Marinette wanted to lift herself over the rock face to see who had played so beautifully, but she didn’t dare. Didn’t want to see who they were. Didn’t want them to see her. Didn’t want the sight of her to be the last thing they saw.

Silence descended afterwards. The silence felt profound. As if she had been deaf to the world until just now, then all of a sudden it was ripped away. The space around her felt more empty than it had since she had first been cursed.

When the heat began to pass, the cool evening moving in, she uncoiled from her hiding place. A quick glance to make sure no one was lingering, before she let her considerable length down the wall, underbelly settling on the cool worn steps leading to the cave. A small flower captured her attention. A delicate pink bud on a slender stem was resting on a large flat rock just beneath the overhang she had hidden behind. Looking around curiously and finding nothing, she moved towards it, and lifted the early spring blossom to her face. Tikki moving out to flick her tongue gently near it. 

_Beautiful._

“It is, isn’t it?” Marinette smiled as she held the flower close to her face, smiling gently all the way back to her rooms, and into the night as she twirled it before her face.

_Maybe there still is beauty in the world for me._

The musician didn’t appear for the next few days, and though she knew they wouldn’t be returning, having given their offering- she had secretly hoped they would. A mother and a young son came, leaving oil and bread, asking for wisdom on a decision she needed to make. A decision that had broken the woman down into racking sobs. Marinette had wanted to hold and comfort the woman who needed someone so badly at that moment. But she couldn’t. Her tone had been soft though when accepting the request. The rest of the evening she soaked in the hot springs, dipping bread in the oil, humming the tune stuck in her head. 

It was several more days before she heard it again. Sprawled out sunbathing on the higher rocks of the hill, the music floated up. She felt her lips pull into a smile. With caution she moved closer, careful not to disturb any small pebbles as she lowered herself back into the hidden alcove. The melodies were different, she was sure. Lighter this time. Whimsical. They brought the vision of dancing through the wild flowers, fabled fairies in the woods, making flower crowns with her friends. The songs felt like breathing in life. Even Tikki couldn’t help but twine and move over her skin in excitement. Tikki had never experienced the finer sides of life and what it had to offer. Marinette lifted a hand to slide along her red scaled friend. 

_This is beautiful, Marinette._

_It is_ , she smiled to herself. The tune she couldn’t help herself from humming sprung from the lyre’s strings. Her body reacted on it’s own, her head swaying to the melody, muscles tensing slowly down her tail with the main chord. It was entrancing. 

It ended sooner than she wished, but the sun had just passed high noon. With a small frown on her face she listened to the quiet movements beneath her, then the steady fading steps. When she descended she found another small pink blossom on the stone, but a wrapped bundle was accompanying it this time. Delicately pulling the cloth away a small variety of things tried to tumble out. She fumbled with both hands before managing to keep everything from hitting the ground. The musician had left her dried meat strips and a small pastry coated in honey. _Honey_. It had been so long since she had tasted honey. Placing the flower behind her ear, before her connection with Tikki, she tore small pieces of the pastry as she curved her way up the ledge in the temple. More content than she had been in awhile. 

The musician came back every few days. New songs. New moods. Always ending with the same beautiful melody she hummed while they were away. It filled her mind, and often echoed in the tunnels as she moved within them. Then they would leave, a small pink flower and bundle of foods left on the stone. 

She was resting on the ledge within the main cavern when the notes began to fill the room and she brightened immediately. Moving silently along the tops of the columns, curling tightly around those that were more precarious. Marinette was going to look today. Going to see who played so beautifully and left such amazing treats. She needed to know, even if she couldn’t properly thank them. The mood they played today was contemplative. Fluid in notes, but the tone changed often, as if they couldn’t decide what to play. There was a pause in the music and she was worried they would stop and leave early. But then that same melody picked up and she eased out of her panic. 

The large stone outside the cavern was hidden from her usual views, no matter how much she stretched. With trepidation she moved out onto a column that was closer, the light beginning to illuminate her features as the sun filtered in. A deep breath later and she gathered her curiosity to move closer, curling further into the light so she could see. Terrified, though, that the musician would walk in and see her up on a column at any second. See her and then see no more. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself knowing that she had stolen that beauty from the world. The world deserved to hear that music. 

Marinette stopped her advancements, doubt and disappointment curdling her stomach. She couldn’t risk their safety just for her curiosity. Gathering her core, she looped back onto the columns adjacent pier, scattering small rocks from the unused path as she went, the sounds of them hitting the ground and skittering like drums in her ears. Immediately she froze and the world around her grew quiet. 

So close. She was so close to the entrance. If they stood up and came to investigate it would be the end for them. Her heart hammered in her chest. _Please don’t._ Closing her eyes tightly she prayed to Athena. Prayed for this mortal to be left unharmed. 

It felt like minutes before they started playing again, beginning the melody anew. She took the opportunity to scurry further into the shadows once more, where she could listen from a safe distance. The tone was light again. _Hope._

They stayed longer than usual, almost late enough to where they would reach the nearest town at early dusk. There were two pink flowers this time. She smiled when she gathered them with the wrapped food. 

It felt like someone cared for her. They knew what this near forgotten temple held, and yet they came. Perhaps the musician was a woman, she mused. Someone who could look upon her and walk away breathing. Marinette smiled at the thought. 

Every few days, without fail, they came until the Spring flowers were curling from the hills and ready to burst. The higher elevation at the temple delayed the beauty from reaching her when the lower valleys and towns were in full bloom. Marinette was ready for the world of color again. Ready to see the bright sun drop flowers, fairy breath pinks, summer sky blues. Every few days without fail, until they didn’t come back for a week.

A week of silence.

A week of loneliness. 

When she felt the steady quiet steps tremor through the ground, gently soothing into her underbelly, she popped up immediately. The platter she had been idly spinning on its side, slipped from her fingers and clattered onto the rocks, the sound crashing around her. She all but flopped onto her side from being startled, but corrected herself quickly. 

_They’re back, Marinette!_

“I know!” Heart pounding in her chest she moved her way through the short distance of tunnel to her ledge in the main temple, pausing to listen momentarily to see if they had started playing. She had to hold her breath for a moment to slow her heart down to listen, but was beyond thankful when she could hear that they hadn’t finished ascending the last section of the path yet. With excitement, she moved out onto the column tops, gliding along the well worn marble to her favorite spot to listen. 

But the steps didn’t stop at the entrance. 

The calm cadence carried the musician into the temple, where they stopped before the altar. If her hands could still produce sweat they would’ve been clammy with anxiety. She couldn’t see them from behind the mass of the stone statue and platform, but she wished she could. She wanted to see who played so beautifully. Who pulled music from the air that sang to her heart. 

“With this offering, I ask that I may know the name of your guardian, mighty Athena,” the spoken words were quiet, but the richness of them filled the room. Ran across her skin and scales alike with the softness of imported silk. She’d never heard a voice so smooth and melodic in her life, let alone one from a man. 

A _man_.

A cool pale hand reached up to cover her mouth. A man. A man who had come to play his music for weeks. Strung themselves into her heart. A heart she hadn’t realized that had gotten attached, until it felt like breaking in her chest. A man. Someone who would never be able to see her. Even if she had felt brave enough to show her true self… now she never could. Tears stung at her eyes. The cool touch of Tikki’s head and gentle flick of her tongue catching a silent falling tear, brought her emotions under control.

_It will be alright, Marinette. I promise. It will be alright._

Marinette nodded, garnering her courage and wiping her eyes, before taking a deep breath.

“Ma-Ma..” she cleared her throat of disuse and emotion. “Marinette. My name is Marinette.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, pssst.... I like comments, guys.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know your thoughts!


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